Create Clay Hats and Crowns!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

I started an idea for a doll i've had in my head for a while....i want her to look old...and a little beat up...SO...i put wax medium on her face AND HEATED IT WITH THE HEAT GUN....HMMM...I CANT TELL IF IT WILL EVER REALLY DRY HARD.......she will be a very odd...kind of alien like ..i still have to add her ears...and i dont think this hairstyle is working with my idea...(i keep doing the same thing....gotta get out of this) ....She has a pointy vintage hat...i just rolled some tea dyed paper to get the idea...but i will do the real hat in textured clay...and walnut stain it....i have a lot of pieces of old lace and I FOUND a piece of really odd worn blue satin material..with little textured dots....this will be her dress. ok...she is a small doll...a picture is attached ( now, this is only the idea...just starting to take on some life....)

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Last week I had the opportunity to be a visitor at the Garden State March doll club meeting. I was invited by ...Diane Kearny.....a very talented doll artist , sewer, quilter.Members brought in completed dolls...dresses and fiber art...We sat and chatted about art while we created a hat from a doll magazine free pattern....it was a great day of connecting with all of these talented souls! have attached some pictures of that meeting, the women and some of their work....

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

OK..this is my last magnet...I used a technique that is from a Sherrill Khann book. I stamped fabric...this was coffee dyed...then i used some flat pink paint all around the image....i sewed on the outside lines...and stuffed her. Then i embellised with some old ribbon...a button from a mold i made from a bracelet(i used light green clay....then painted it that same light pink ...i then distressed the button using temporary quilting spray...then used Ranger distress powders in tattered rose...and heated...ohhh!! it comes gritty and distressed looking...i put a little gold rub n buff on the edges....Now...i sent for the coolest Metal Powders...from the Clay Alley website....and edged the cards. this powder is so cool..it really takes on a very "metal look" .......I stamped the word vintage in a mauve chalk ink...then i used ranger white frost embossing powder...this looks so Cool!!!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Well... i have to tell you...at first it was just making dolls....dont get me wrong..The Doll is my ultimate first love!!! But we had a new member join our doll club. Well...she's a new member for us...but not new to dollmaking and fiber art. Her name is Stephanie Novatskie (hmmmm...spelling??!) and she has been doing it all! Stephanie has inspired me to really step out of my little cocoon and learn "everything"! I am diving into fibert art and mixed media......clay, which is my main love that got me into dolls....., stamps....ohhhh the stamps.....i'm going broke and running out of shop space!!!!! embossing...blah blah blah.....!

Well....i'm telling you this because there is always someone new to let into your life to inspire you.....there is always a new door to open to allow new creativity to flow in.....and there will always be beautiful art friends that you connect with for life. With that being said....check out an amazing hand made gift that stephanie made me that totally got me creating in overdrive!!!!!

This magnet was made using a sissix frame cut out of batting...the color and texture gave it a vintage feel...i stained it a little with walnut stain. I freemotioned around the frame making little circles....that ended up looking like roses, then softened the whole thing with a piece of ivory tulle........I then ran it through the xyron machine with the laminate/magnet cartidge....only the tulle did not like the laminate...wouldnt stick!!! hmmmm i thuoght it laminated everything!!! oh well...i removed the laminate sheet and it actually looks better...like a tiny quilt with a nice feel! I used a mold for the doll parts....and then i used rubber stamps in colored polymer clay (they were highlighted before baking with sparkly powders) for the wings and crown......Lotsa techniques here! good learning experience......

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

i hung out in my shop most of the afternoon today....it started out really clean...and it now looks like a bomb hit it! But... i was in creative MODE! i just kept trying new things...if i failed ...i tried it again....that is very good for me...getting frustrated and stopping is a big problem i have....

OK...anyway...i told my friend evelyn that i would make a pin or magnet for an upcoming charity event she is helping with...i believe it is for senior citizens! Evelyn had made some really cool pins that inspired me...so it started out as a pin...but ended up a magnet... well whatever.... i"m very happy with the results! I used so many techniques and things in this project. I used a new mold i bought called "Dolly Dangles" then tweaked it so it would look different....i used a wing and crown stamp and embossed it on felt with gold utee powder.....i had a piece of beautiful vintage material my friend tery gave me for the dolls dress....i used my new xyron machine to laminate/apply a magnet to a "fence" stamped image on heavy paper... i added sparkles...rub and buff...genesis paints on her face and i burned her tulle underskirt....i had to make her vintage!!!!

Monday, March 3, 2008

man...i love this stuff!!! now i am running all over my house looking for cool things that i want to "make a mold" of!!!! All you have to do is take equal parts of 2 different color putties and mix them together..(QUICKLEY) until they are a uniform color...then cover the object you want to make the mold of......wait about 10 minutes for it to set...and you have the same detail as the original in a mold!! now you can reproduce that "thing" as many times as you like!!!

i made molds of stamps.... charms...fancy buttons....my original face sculpt that i liked...blah blah blah....whatever!!

here are a couple of pictures of the molds and the dulpicates made. you can actually make the duplicate better than the original by tweaking the clay after releasing it from the mold...or by painting it...or using sparkley powders or glitz and glitter!!!

About Me

So this Dollmaking journey continues with my Passion for sculpting in paperclay...and embellishing with every kind of Media that I can get my hands on! I Teach Sculpting paper clay dolls and embellishing in Mixed Medias.